Tue December 4, 2012

In just a few days, smoking marijuana won’t be much different from drinking a glass of wine, as far as state law is concerned. But in what may be the place most associated with pot-smoking – the dorm room – it will still be banned.

If Washington voters approve a ballot measure this fall legalizing marijuana, it would bring big changes – not just in the justice system, but in our communities. In our series “If It’s Legal: Five Ways Legal Pot Could Affect Your Life,” we consider some ways things could change for all of us, even people who never smoke pot. We begin with a basic question: would legal marijuana lead to more danger on the roads?

This week, President Obama signed a law banning synthetic marijuana and other synthetic drugs. Dozens of states and local governments have already tried to outlaw fake marijuana, which has been blamed for hundreds of emergency room visits and a handful of fatalities.

But the bans have proved largely ineffective, and there are fears that the federal law won't be any different.

Synthetic marijuana looks a bit like dried grass clippings. It's readily available on the Internet and in convenience stores and smoke shops, where it's sold as herbal incense or potpourri.

Marijuana use

4:53 pm

Wed April 18, 2012

The University of Oregon’s athletics director is responding this morning to a story alleging widespread pot use among Ducks football players.

The article in “ESPN The Magazine” rehashes some familiar incidents – including the legal run-ins of former quarterbacks Jeremiah Masoli and Darron Thomas. It highlights safety Cliff Harris’ infamously saying “we smoked it all” to a police officer, when asked to hand over marijuana.